A lot of internet terms don't make a lot of sense if you're not used to them. One such word is creepypasta—what does this mean and what's it all about?

Let's look at what creepypasta is, including some examples, so you can better understand this internet phenomenon.

What Does Creepypasta Mean?

The definition of a creepypasta has evolved over time. Originally, it referred to short horror stories that were usually written by an unknown author, then copied and pasted around the internet. This is where the name comes from: it's a portmanteau of "creepy" and "copypasta", which is a block of text that spreads around message boards and similar online forums.

However, creepypasta can now refer to nearly any horror story on the internet. They can be brief or extremely long, spanning multiple chapters. Anonymous copy-and-paste creepypastas are less popular now; people often attach their name to the story when they write a creepypasta.

It's important to note that creepypastas are fictional stories—think of them like urban legends. If you suspend disbelief, it's possible to think that these stories actually happened. They usually aren't so outrageous that they seem impossible.

Creepypasta Examples

We can look at a few major creepypastas to get an idea of how they work.

Ben Drowned

One of the most famous creepypastas is the Ben Drowned story. It's a multi-part saga that started back in 2010. The story begins by telling the tale of a student who bought a suspicious copy of the Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The cartridge still contained the previous owner's save file, named "Ben."

When the new owner started playing it, he noticed some strange glitches. As he continued on, he found stranger issues and darker themes, including a creepy statue of Link following him around. This is revealed to be the ghost of BEN, the previous owner of the game cartridge, who had drowned in real life.

Through several methods, BEN escapes the cartridge and gets onto the internet. From there, a cult arises, followed by a lot more.

The Ben Drowned story is one of the most-followed creepypastas of all time, and there's a lot to it, including a final arc that ended in 2020. It's well-documented online, so you can read through it all as it appeared at the time, if you'd like to experience it.

A lot of similar video game-based creepypastas, such as Sonic.exe, are based around a similar idea of a haunted game cartridge.

Slender Man

Slender Man is another well-known creepypasta that encompasses a wide range of media. It revolves around a terrifying figure named Slender Man, who is thin, tall, faceless, and wears a suit. Stories about this creature recall tales of him stalking and abducting kids.

Related: The Scariest Must-Play Horror Games for Halloween

Many video games, stories, and even movies have included Slender Man in them. In this way, he's kind of a modern-day Bigfoot for the internet age.

Sadly, Slender Man is a creepypasta that had real-world effects. In 2014, two girls lured their friend into the woods and stabbed her multiple times, claiming that they wanted to demonstrate their loyalty to Slender Man. Thankfully, the victim survived.

Where to Find Creepypastas

If you're interested in finding and reading more creepypastas, there are lots of places to look online.

Creepypasta.com should be your first destination. There you can check out recent stories, as well as those ranked highly by other users or considered to be the most famous of all time.

There's also /r/Creepypasta on Reddit, which contains creepypasta stories as well as related images and discussions.

Get Your Horror Fill With Creepypastas

Now you know what a creepypasta is and what to expect from them. If you enjoy fictional horror stories, they're a part of the web you should definitely check out. Whether you read up on creepypasta classics or follow a developing tale, you'll have a good time.

Creepypastas are just one type of horror content to enjoy online, however.

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